The Shabby Chic Home [Paperback]

Most people are familiar with the hallmarks of Rachel Ashwell's shabby chic style: fabrics in pastel florals and stripes, chintz sofa covers, antique-store and yard-sale finds turned into home furnishings and accessories. At the heart of this breezy style is a very practical idea: don't buy new--use what you have or can find at thrift stores and secondhand shops and enjoy the old-fashioned charm that only aged pieces acquire. The same idea goes for houses. The Shabby Chic Home shows how an older home can take on a shabby chic appeal by being brought up to date without sacrificing any of its charm.

In The Shabby Chic Home, Ashwell walks readers through the renovation of her own 1920s home, from the purchase of the originally dark and gloomy house through the repainting (using layers and layers of white paint) of the home and the rebirth of the garden, yard, and pool, to the final decorating of the home for herself and her two kids. Along the way, readers receive advice on how to choose from among the thousands of paint colors, how to decide whether to live with the old or buy new, and why remodeling an older home might not be such a good idea. The latter part of the book explains how to add touches of shabby chic style to every room of a home--old or new--for a finished look. The result, shown in dramatic before-and-after pictures, is a home that's comfortable enough for a family to relax in, but still elegant and beautiful.

Don't let the floral patterns and chenille bedspreads fool you: Ashwell's advice throughout is common-sense and economical. For instance, she recommends not wasting your time looking through every decorating option--if you like the first idea, color, or plan well enough, save yourself the time and stress and go with it. She also suggests resisting the immediate desire to throw out the old and bring in the new; try living with things as they are for a while, and you may find yourself surprised at how well you've come to like the funky tile in the bathroom or the noisy glass-door refrigerator. Here lies the appeal of a shabby chic home: sometimes old has a charm and lived-in look that can't be purchased from a home improvement store. --Kris Law --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Ashwell (Shabby Chic and Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting & Decorating Guide) shows how she transformed her own Malibu home, a 1920s natural-wood dwelling built by a Swedish boatbuilder, into a reflection of the "Shabby Chic" style that she has popularized with her home furnishings and fabric lines. Taking a house with "good bones," she dramatically changed the look of the house with simple adjustments, such as using lots of white paint. (To those who protested her painting the natural wood, she replied, "Oh, well.") Given the continuing tendency to gut or tear down older homes, her recommendations are refreshing. A good purchase for public libraries.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"Another wonderfully photographic book from the founder of 'shabby chic' style." Alexandra Zissu, US magazine

Wide-plank floors, paned sash windows, an old brick fireplace, the charm of living with a home's small imperfections and making them a virtue. These are just some examples of what makes up a Shabby Chic home.

When Rachel Ashwell, founder of the Shabby Chic line, first saw her future home, she was put off by its dark exterior and gloomy interior. But when she took a closer look, she saw the charm beneath its surface. Excited by the challenge, she went to work on it.

With love, work, and a lot of white paint, Rachel transformed the house into her dream home, one that had all the hallmarks of a Shabby Chic home: a practical amount of space, a relaxed atmosphere, and a comfortable beauty.

Now, in The Shabby Chic Home, Rachel uses her home as an example to show you how to assess what needs to be replaced (in her case it was the tiles in the pool and the bathroom doorknobs), make small structural changes (she exchanged a glass window for a glass door), and keep costs down while adding personal Shabby Chic touches.

Using Rachel's detailed instructions, you'll learn how to find beauty in the nooks and crannies of your own house so that you, too, can have a comfortable, functional, and beautifully designed home.

Rachel Ashwell was born in England and later moved to Malibu, California. After creating the Shabby Chic style in 1989, she founded the Shabby Chic home furnishing stores and Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture. She is also the author of the bestselling <em>Shabby Chic</em>; <em>Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting and Decorating Guide</em>; <em>Shabby Chic: The Gift of Giving; and Shabby Chic: Sumptuous Settings and Other Lovely Things</em>.

Amy Neunsinger is a photographer whose work has appeared in numerous magazines and advertising campaigns ranging from beauty to travel.

Deborah Greenfield, Rachel Ashwell's sister, was born in London. She studied art at the School of Visual Arts and Parsons School of Design in New York. She is also a choreographer and an award-winning flamenco dancer.